Skills and Local Labour Markets
The broader research agenda for WMREDI is to understand the relative impact of various interventions and investments for regional economic growth, sustainability and the reduction of social inequality in the West Midlands and the UK.
Projects in this research theme examine local and regional labour supply and demand, current skills trends and future needs, education and skills pathways, skills initiatives and policy, and analysis of skilled labour attraction and retention, skills mismatches and skills upgrading.
Local Funding Flows for Youth Employment and skills
Led by Anne Green, this project looks at supporting young people who face the most discrimination and disadvantage in the labour market.
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R&D Workforce and Skills
Led by Kostas Kollydas, this project describes the structure and characteristics of the R&D workforce across regions and identifies the types of R&D skills sought by employers in various industries.
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Bridging the West Midlands' Digital Skills Gap: A Roadmap Towards a Digital Skills Innovation District
Led by Anne Green, this QR Funded project aims to create an evidence base to support the long term development of a Digital Skills Innovation District.
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Graduate Attraction and Retention
Led by Kostas Kollydas, this project examines issues related to graduate mobility, with a particular focus on patterns of graduate attraction and retention at the regional level.
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Understanding and addressing skills impacts and needs
Led by Alex Smith, this project looks at pathways for young people through education and their prospects afterwards, impacts of addressing disadvantage, and future trends and vulnerabilities.
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Universities, skills and strategies
Led by Abigail Taylor, this project investigates the current and future skills initiatives in local and regional economic strategies, with a particular emphasis on the role of universities.
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West Midlands Local Skills Report
Led by Alex Smith, The Local Skills Report aims to assess the current state of the West Midlands Education and Skills system, and how well the supply of skills meets demand within the region.
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What Works: Conducting Impactful Virtual Internships as a Civic University
Led By Johannes Read, this project looks at what works when conducting virtual internships as a civic university and the importance it plays in the education system.
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